My wife and I just picked 3 decent sized morels today. We were headed up north and 3 obviously isn't enough to cook. What's the best thing we can do to preserve these for at least a couple days? Should we just dehydrate them?

I'm sure there's posts here I could have searched for, but the wings are on and I don't have the time to look!

__________________

Some may think I'm crazy, I just think I'm passionate about the things I'm interested in. Right now, morels fall into that category of 'interest.'

LOL i just sent a private message explaining my best results I like to string them on needle and thread and hang themin a nice dry well ventalated area of the house. i will paste the message i sent
hello i've dried morels for years the method you are using is the best in my opinion this way has better flavor when rehydrated then using a dehyrator freezing to me just isn't that good of a way to save them most of the time when thawed they become slimy or mushy i have found that dried morel are not the best for frying unless used with other foods such as scambled eggs mostly i use them in oven dishs or soups when i rehydrate them i use 3 or 4 beef bullion cubes disolved in hot tap water then after shaking the dried morels in a paper sack to get most of the grit out of em i submerg them in the broth and place a plate on them to hold them under allow to soak until soft they will return to about two thirds their natural size then prepare in way you wish i save the left over broth for another day i have used it for boiling pasta and potatos just for the flavor or soup starter i store my dried morels in a mason jar in the least used cupboard in the kitchen put the shrooms in jar with a few bullion cubes put a new lid on and dip in hot water to make it seal good luck and good eats P.S> shred the paper bag and scatter it around an area in your yard or your shrooming woods to take advantage of any spores that might be there

__________________

"THE WOODS ARE LOVELY DARK AND DEEP AND I HAVE MANY MORELS TO FIND BEFORE I SLEEP" .............

I have another very newbie question...When you eat them fresh and throw them right into the sauteeing pan, are you supposed to wash them/rinse them in water?

How do you clean them when dehydrating? Do you clean them at all? You mentioned 'getting rid of most of the grit,' so I figured I'd ask to be sure. I probably would have gone and rinsed them before throwing them in the dehydrator if I didn't ask, lol.

Thanks in advance for any help!

__________________

Some may think I'm crazy, I just think I'm passionate about the things I'm interested in. Right now, morels fall into that category of 'interest.'

you can rinse them before drying but it will add to the drying time. You should soak them in water (salt) mixture for overnight to kill bugs and ants.Then rinse them with a veggie sprayer or spinner before cooking P.S. save the water and again put it around an area you might think they would grow.

__________________

"THE WOODS ARE LOVELY DARK AND DEEP AND I HAVE MANY MORELS TO FIND BEFORE I SLEEP" .............

When preserving morels, I simply let them dry out in the fridge and let them sit, completly dried out in the fridge. When I am ready to eat them I take them out, soak them in salt water until they plump up from soaking up the water (they look almost fresh). I don't wait for them to dry, I drege them in a half/half mixture of flour and italian breadcrumbs. I then fry them, the best way to eat morels. yummmm!!! Enjoy.